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One afternoon at my job two years ago, an alert popped up on my phone: my paycheck had come through. It was a decent sum for a someone still at university, so I did my what I always did payday ritual: I opened every retail application on my device. Amazon, Vinted, Etsy, Depop, Zara, the list was endless. Within the space of an hour, I had spent £90 on clothes, home decor and a totally useless weighted blanket that never touched.

A short while after, I returned to the internet and bought a blow dryer. I already had one, but thought another wouldn't be a problem. Then I added light strips and two shoes that weren’t even my size. This wasn’t new behaviour. In fact, I’d been notorious for it since I started earning.

Whenever I felt anxious, tired or bored, I would doomscroll until it inevitably ended in an impulsive shopping spree. My justification was always: “It's only £5.” But £5 turned into £10, then £20, and continued.

I was never completely certain about the reason. Maybe it was due to my upbringing in a poor family, where we’d experience months without buying new clothes or anything to decorate the home. So any moment I had extra money, there was always a subconscious yearning for new and thrilling things. Or possibly, and almost certainly, I was just bad with money and succumbed readily to capitalism’s demands.

A Revolutionary Approach

Eventually, I opted to experiment with a novel idea. Prior to buying anything, I’d put it in my basket, delay for 24 hours, then make a choice on whether to finalize the purchase. The best part of this method was that it provided me space to think – something I’d never done before. For the first time since adulthood, I started asking myself: “Do I actually require this? Can I afford it?” More often than not, the answer was negative.

If I opened my shopping apps and found products lingering in my cart, I’d clear them out and begin anew. By employing this method, I stopped buying things that I intuitively knew I would never use. I once considered purchasing a trio of games, but after a waiting period before going to the shop, I realised I never actually engage with board games.

I also contemplated buy a disposable film camera for my first trip to the coast. After pausing I recalled I had a phone, similar to most people, that features a perfectly adequate camera, and thus had no requirement to buy a dedicated camera.

The Enduring Benefits

It additionally means I am more discerning about the things I do buy, and I can at last review my financial records without experiencing guilt or discomfort.

Naturally, there have been occasions I’ve slipped back into old habits – it's human nature. The key change is that I can identify the signs early, especially when I’m rushing into a purchase. I’ve realised boredom is a powerful catalyst. It’s perhaps the primary driver of my impulsive expenditure.

Modern culture exploits this idleness and our desire for instant gratification. That’s the reason, looking back, forcing myself to pause before purchasing has felt strangely liberating. Gaining control over my impulses and reaffirming that I don't have to spend my diligently earned money on non-essential goods feels as revolutionary as it is simple.